Last Moments
by GreenNereid
Summary: *Endgame spoilers* Luke's sacrifice at Eldrant felt final to everyone, but is every piece of him gone? This will probably turn out to be a four-part story. I would greatly appreciate any comments and critique!
1. Chapter 1

_ELDRANT_

Seven years old and he had blood on his hands. Seven years old and the promise of a saved world rested on his shoulders. Seven years and they were about to be over.

Luke didn't want to die. Ever since Akzeriuth fell by his hand, ending so many lives and futures, he wondered why he had been born. He was just one resented name in Auldrant's Score, a replica who had managed to mess up a considerable amount of things despite how little time he had been in the world.

His heart throbbed out sadness with every second he watched his companions walk away. They cared. Did that mean he was important? Perhaps what he had done made him a hero after all, just like Van had said he would be. That felt like eternities ago. Now that he knew the truth, he and his companions fought Van to the death, unbalancing the Score that dictated the world. He had faced death several times on the journey, but this one felt like it counted.

_I would die for it_. They used to be empty words. Now sacrifice was his reality. The tightness in his chest was the same he'd felt when he first protected himself in battle, when he nearly sacrificed himself among gray-wearing replicas. But nothing could have prepared him for the feeling of being at the end of the road. A final look back would never be enough to capture all the things he still wanted to do. Would it be better if he actually wanted to die?

Luke imagined how pitiful he looked, cramming all his questions into his last moments. He could almost hear Asch's voice in his head: "You pathetic dreck! Didn't you see it coming?" But he couldn't afford to think like that now.

He refused to be "foolish replica Luke" again.

There were reasons to hold on, like his promise to survive. He doubted any words could save him, and his companions probably thought the same, but their goodbyes were more than just a hollow game of pretend. Making the promise was the least Luke could do for them, that and meeting his fate with a calm face; had this happened earlier in their journey, he would have been a child trapped in a seventeen-year-old's body, whining, "No, I won't do it, I don't want to die!" Thankfully that side of him _had_ been gradually changed by words, by a swift blade cutting off his red locks.

He imagined Asch's voice again. Maybe hearing it in his head so many times had started a cycle. "Any regrets, dreck?"

Most of all, he regretted how many lives he had taken- he swore that Van's would be the last. Leaving Tear, leaving everyone, was right up with it on the list, but the time he spent with them wasn't.

Luke allowed himself one more indulgence, looking back (he'd caught one of them doing the same). There was Guy, his best friend. Anise, her usual bouncy skip replaced by slow steps. Natalia, who still kept going even after losing him and Asch in one day. Mieu, his cheagle guardian, white-tufted ears drooping. Jade, whose cold heart he had managed to touch- _No way, _he thought. The Necromancer would casually blast him with divine lightning if he heard the overstatement. And...

And Tear. The girl he loved and had never been able to tell. Her words rang in his head: "I'll be waiting for you! Always!" She was definitely a reason to live for, but since the doctor informed him of his fonons deteriorating, and with the battle with Van approaching, he knew he might not have much time. Telling her would only hurt her more once he was gone.

Were his eyes wet now?

Exhaustion weighed him down. _Just do this, Luke, _he told himself. _It might feel like a long nap..._

He walked past white pillars scraping the sky, plain stone beneath him. He didn't think about disappearing from the world. Just the promise. Just a few words: _I am Luke Fon Fabre. I exist._

Luke plunged the Key of Lorelei into the ground beneath him, the world beginning to crumble. Eldrant would soon be gone, all of Van's wishes driven to ruin- that was worth every little sacrifice. Luke fell, bathed in a warm glow. He passed through the room where he had fought Asch. The body of his original plummeted among chunks of rock, and Luke caught him, watching dark red hair fan out over his arms. Asch's face was pale and battered but uncharacteristically serene, his skin laced with blood. Luke's heart sped up as Lorelei whispered its thanks, engulfing them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: One more short chapter detailing the ending scene, then I'll be moving on to the longer ones that take place after the game ends. Some of the dialogue here is from the anime. Thanks to new readers and everyone who gave me feedback!**

**I don't own Tales of the Abyss.**

_TATAROO VALLEY_

The Valley no longer felt beautiful; it felt like death.

Or maybe hope.

The weight of two years rested within Tear, of living in a world without the Score, without the person she cared about most beside her. When she looked out at the valley, she recalled the first time she was here with him. She didn't think she could stand being around him. Slowly, although she would never admit it again after a few whispered words, her affection for him became more than a friendly bond. She didn't waste much time wondering if he felt the same way, or feeling hurt that he hadn't responded. Just seeing him alive was all she wanted. Some days she was buoyed with certainty that that would happen, and some days she couldn't understand how it was possible. It felt like her entire being depended on this moment, even though things would continue no matter what the result.

A frigid breeze pricked her skin, lifting her long blond hair. White flowers bobbed against her ankles.

Suddenly a voice broke through the stillness. "I thought you'd be here."

It was Guy, his short blonde hair illuminated by stray stands of light. Anise, Jade, Natalia, and Mieu stood with him.

"Why...?" Tear was surprised she could muster any words.

"I figured everyone would be here," said Guy.

"None of us had any interest in a coming-of-age ceremony in front of Luke's grave," said Natalia. She wore a ruffle-adorned lavender and white dress, pale strands of hair meticulously swept back beneath a band.

"That's right!" Anise's dark eyes lit up. "He said he'll be coming for sure."

Jade nodded, his perpetual smile frozen on his face.

_Everyone..._

"Tear, would you sing your Grand Fonic Hymn?" asked Natalia.

She looked around, surprised.

"I want to hear it too!" Anise piped up.

Tear walked far ahead of them, gazing at the dark blue sky, and sang, threading her promise into her words. So many times she had gone through them during battles. They usually came naturally, but this time it took effort. She was afraid her voice would shake.

A long moment passed, the final note disappearing into cold night air.

"We should head back." Jade pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "The valley is dangerous at night."

They began to walk away, but a movement in the corner of Tear's vision made her halt. So did the others. A red-haired man was wading through the sea of flowers toward them.

Tear approached, barely able to make out his face beneath his long hair. She leaned closer, and the unfamiliar green eyes made her breathing grow shallow.

"Why are you here?" It couldn't just be Lorelei. It couldn't.

"This place has a nice view of Hod." His voice was like a flat, low note in a song. "Besides, I made a promise, didn't I?"

She thought she detected a faint hint of Luke's essence in his voice, but as soon as she caught it, it was gone.

_It's not him. _Tears slid down her cheeks, her body paralyzed by his searching gaze.

Finally she turned to the others for their verdict. To her numbed surprise, Jade's usually emotionless amber eyes flashed with sadness. That was the answer she needed.

So it truly was...a world without him.

"Luke?" Anise looked down. "You promised."

_Yes, but who? _Natalia once mentioned the promise she made with Asch when they were young. They vowed to marry and create a world with no war and no poverty. This may as well have been this promise.

The ache that Tear had felt so many times in the past two years returned, except this time it was more than emptiness, it was loss, it was the pain of the unthinkable happening.

"Well?" That was Jade, his face no longer betraying his steady voice. "Let's go."


End file.
